Hell, Grand Cayman

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Hell, Grand Cayman

Hell is a group of short, black, limestone formations on Grand Cayman, the largest of the Cayman Islands. Located in West Bay, it is roughly the size of half a soccer field. Visitors are not permitted to walk on the limestone formations but viewing platforms are provided.

Stories of how Hell got its name

There are numerous versions of how Hell received its name, but they are generally variations on "a ministration exclaimed, 'This is what Hell must look like.'"

It is also claimed that the name "Hell" is derived from the fact that if a pebble is thrown out into the formation, it echoes amongst the limestone peaks and valleys and sounds as if the pebble is falling all the way down to the infernal regions.

Hell's Gift Shop, Grand Cayman

Regardless of how it first came to be called Hell, the name stuck and the area has become a tourist attraction, featuring a fire-engine red hell-themed post office from which you can send "postcards from hell", and a gift shop with 'Satan' Ivan Farrington[1] passing out souvenirs while greeting people with phrases like 'How the hell are you?' and 'Where the hell are you from?'[2][3]

In contrast to the worrying marketing, some of the stores in the area feature prominent quotations from the Bible on their sides; this is due to the pious nature of Caymanian society.[4]

References

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